Sliding window arrangement



Oc 5, 1965 H. GOLDE 3,209,412

SLIDING WINDOW ARRANGEMENT Filed July 1, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet l I I \lOct. 5, 1965 H. GOLDE SLIDING WINDOW ARRANGEMENT 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FiledJuly 1, 1963 Oct. 5, 1965 H. GOLDE SLIDING WINDOW ARRANGEMENT 3Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 1, 1963 United States Patent SLIDING WINDOWARRANGEMENT Hans Golde, 338 Hanauer Landstrasse,

Frankfurt am Main, Germany Filed July 1, 1963, Ser. No. 291,880 Claimspriority, application Germany, July 4, 1962, G 35,377 8 Claims. (Cl.2052) This invention relates to a sliding window arrangement.

In a known sliding window arrangement for a motor vehicle, a windowraising and lowering mechanism incorporating a hand crank has builtdirectly into it a spiral spring which is wound up and therebyincreasingly stressed when the window is opened and which assists in theclosing of the window. The crank drives through the agency of asingle-stage or multi-stage reduction gear a rotatably mounted pin onwhich is fixed one end of the spiral spring, the other end of which isheld stationary so that the turning of the pin causes winding up orunwinding of the spring.

This construction has several important disadvantages, one being thatthe effectiveness of the spring is considerably reduced by the reductioninterposed between the crank and the pin to which the spring isconnected, and by frictional losses in the gear. Another disadvantage isthat the replacing of a defective spring always requires the entirewindow lifting and lowering mechanism to be demounted, which istime-consuming and expensive. In addition, in the case of a slidingwindow that does not have such a spring arrangement to assist closingthe window, it is not possible subsequently to fit such an arrangement.

According to the present invention there is provided a sliding windowarrangement comprising a fixed structure having an aperture therein, asliding window movable between an upper position in which it closes theaperture and a lower position in which it does not, and a twoendedspring which has one end which remains substantially stationary withrespect to the fixed structure and has the other end acting upon thelower edge of the sliding window and arranged to move up and down withthe sliding window so that as the sliding window is lowered the springis increasingly stressed and exerts on the sliding window a force thatassists in closing the window.

For a better understanding of the invention and to show how it may becarried into effect, reference will now be made to the accompanyingdrawings, which show by way of example and not limitation the nowpreferred embodiments of the invention in which:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic view of a sliding window arrangement in adoor of a motor vehicle, the arrangement including a spring device whichis shown in the position which it occupies when the window is closed,

FIGURE 2 is a view of the spring device shown in FIG- URE l, but in theposition which it occupies when the window is open,

FIGURES 3 and 4 show, by views corresponding to FIGURES 1 and 2, afurther spring device in a sliding window arrangement in a motor vehicledoor, and

FIGURES 5 and 6 show, by corresponding views another example of a springdevice in a sliding window arrangement in a motor vehicle door.

FIGURES 1 and 2 show a wire spring 1 of circular cross-section havingtwo inclined arms interconnected by a loop consisting of one turn or ofseveral turns of the wire in the manner of a helix. The free end of onearm 2 is inserted in a channel-shaped guide 5 which is held in a sleeve4 which is rigidly fixed to an inner panel 3a of a vehicle door 3. Theother arm 6 of the spring 1 bears against but is not fixed to, anintermediate element 8 having a portion 8A which is fixed to the loweredge of a "Ice sliding window 7. The intermediate element is formed witha longitudinally extending passage in the form of a groove 9 which isindicated by broken lines and in which the free end of the arm 6 of thespring 1 lies. The walls of the groove are made of, or lined with,synthetic plastic material. The window 7 can be opened and closed, i.e.lowered and raised, by means of a hand-operated crank 10 which iscoupled to a cable 11 which is fastened at 26 to the intermediateelement 8 and is guided in a slotted tube. The arrangement is such thatwhen the crank 10 is rotated in one direction the cable moves in onedirection along the tube and the window is closed, whereas when thecrank is rotated in the other direction the cable moves in the otherdirection along the tube and the window is opened.

As FIGURE 2 shows, the lowering or opening of the window 7 presses thearm 6 of the spring 1, through the agency of the intermediate element 8into a substantially horizontal position. When this happens, the arm 6slides in the groove 9 and the arm 2 moves a short distance upwardlywithin the channel 5. The spring becomes increasingly stressed as thewindow is lowered. When the window is closed, the spring presses frombelow against the intermediate element 8 .and thus facilitates theraising of the window.

Instead of the groove 9 being formed on the element 8, the lower edge ofthe window can itself be used for guiding a sliding element arranged onthe end of the spring arm 6, for example a U-shaped sliding shoe or thelike which is arranged to engage about the edge of the window.

The described spring device for assisting the closing of the window canbe fitted to a vehicle door already having the described window raisingand lowering mechanism. If the spring breaks, it can be replaced byanother without dismounting the entire window operating mechamsm.

FIGURES 3 and 4 show an example in which a wire spring 13 havinginclined arms 14 and 20 and a loop 13a connecting them, has its endsformed into eyes 15 and 19 in which are inserted pins 16 and 18 whichare fixed to the vehicle door and to an intermediate element 17,respectively. The intermediate element 17 is fixed to the lower edge ofthe window 7. Handle 10 by the virtue of means 10a connected theretoengages cable 11 to move it in tube 21. Tube 21 is provided with a slot21a. Cable 11 is fixed to intermediate element 17 at 26. The parts 10and 11 function as described with reference to FIG- URES 1 and 2 andforce the arms of the spring closer together when the window is lowered,as can be seen from a comparison of FIGURES 3 and 4.

The examples according to FIGURES 1 to 4 could be modified by using awire spring having three or more arms and having a loop consisting ofone or more turns of wire between each two adjacent arms.

In the example shown in FIGURES 5 and 6 the spring is a helicalcompression spring 22, in which is a longitudinally extending guidemember which guides movement of the spring when the window 7 is raisedand lowered. This guide member is part of the tube 21 in which the cable11 is guided. The lower end 2212 of the spring bears against the bottomof the vehicle door 23 through the agency of a washer 25, and the upperend 22b of the spring bears against the lower edge of the window throughthe agency of an intermediate element 24 which is fixed to the loweredge of the window and to which the cable is attached at 26. When thewindow 7 is opened, the coil spring 22 is compressed along the guidetube 21 and when the window is closed the spring acts upon the window toassist closing of it.

The spring device for assisting closing of the window 3 can be used incases where there is no window raising and lowering mechanism providedwith a cable of the kind illustrated, and it is readily possible to fitthe device to any desired sliding window, even one which does not have awindow lifting and lowering mechanism.

I claim:

1. In combination with a window slidable between an upper and lowerposition in a fixed window frame, apparatus for raising and loweringsaid window comprising a handle rotatably mounted on said window frame,a tube, a portion of said tube being longitudinally slotted andextending parallel to the direction of travel of said window, a cablewithin said tube, means connected to said handle for engaging said cableso that when said handle is rotated said cable is driven longitudinallyalong said tube, an intermediate support member attached to said window,said intermediate support member being further fixed to a portion ofsaid cable within the longitudinally slotted portion of said tube, aspring means including first and second ends, and first means forreleasably fixing the first end of said spring means to said windowframe and said second end of said spring means being releasably andoperatively abutting said intermediate support member.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said spring means is so positionedand biased so that when said window is being raised from the loweredposition, said spring means urges said intermediate support meansagainst said window to provide a force for assisting in the raising ofsaid window.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said spring means is an elongatedhelical spring surrounding the longitudinally slotted portion of saidtube and including one end abutting said intermediate support member andanother end abutting said window frame.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein said spring means is a length offlexible rod including first and second arms, and at least a single turnbetween said arms.

5. The combination of claim 4 wherein said intermediate support memberincludes a window supporting portion fixed to an edge of said window anda longitudinally extending arcuate groove portion for accommodating onearm of said spring means so that as said window is raised and loweredsaid one arm rocks in said arcuate groove while pressing against saidintermediate support member.

6. The combination of claim 4 wherein the first arm of said spring meansis terminated as an eye and said intermediate support means includes apin inserted in said eye.

7. The combination of claim 4 wherein said first means comprises asleeve fixed to said window frame and said second arm of said springmeans is slidably fitted in said sleeve.

8. The combination of claim 4 wherein said second arm of said springmeans terminates in an eye and said second means includes a pin fixed tosaid window frame, said pin being inserted in said eye.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS HARRISON R.MOSELEY, Primary Examiner.

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A WINDOW SLIDABLE BETWEEN AN UPPER AND LOWERPOSITION IN A FIXED WINDOW FRAME, APPARRATUS FOR RAISING AND LOWERINGSAID WINDOW COMPRISING A HANDLE ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAID WINDOW FRAME,A TUBE, A PORTION OF SAID TUBE BEING LONGITUDINALLY SLOTTED ANDEXTENDING PARALLEL TO THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL OF SAID WINDOW, A CABLEWITHIN SAID TUBE, MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID HANDLE FOR ENGAGING SAID CABLESO THAT WHEN SAID HANDLE IS ROTATED SAID CABLE IS DRIVEN LONGITUDINALLYALONG SAID TUBE, AN INTERMEDIATE SUPPORT MEMBER ATTACHED TO SAID WINDOW,SAID INTERMEDIATE SUPPORT MEMBER BEING FURTHER FIXED TO A PORTION OFSAID CABLE WITHIN THE LONGITUDINALLY SLOTTED PORTION OF SAID TUBE, ASPRING MEANS INCLUDING FIRST AND SECOND ENDS, AND FIRST MEANS FORRELEASABLY FIXING THE FIRST END OF SAID SPRING MEANS TO SAID WINDOWFRAME AND SAID SECOND END OF SAID SPRING MEANS BEING RELEASABLY ANDOPERATIVELY ABUTTING SAID INTERMEDIATE SUPPORT MEMBER.